Pattern control mechanism for knitting machines



Y 1933- w. s. PFEIFER 1,906,409

STARTING MECHANISM FOR ELECTRICAL APPARATUS Filed Feb. 8, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 2, 1933. H. N. SHEPPARD 1,907,409

PATTERN CONTROL MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Feb. 24. 1930 ZSheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR HARRY N; SHEPPARD 9 77/219 atZarn g5 Patented May 2, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY N. SHEPPARD, OF MAPLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T SCOTT AND WILLIAMS, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N.

BETTS Y., A CORPORATION OF EASSAOHU- Application filed February 24, 1980. Serial No. 480,875.

This invention relates to knitting machines and more particularl to means for varying the pattern produce in hosiery knit on a circular knitting machine. One of the objects of the invention is to increase the variety of patterns which can be produced on a given pattern drum by varying the effective operation of the pawl on the rack wheel for the cause this variation automatically in such a manner as to len then or shorten'the pattern produced by t e drum. Theiinvention will be shown anddescribed embodied in the well-known Scott& Williams type of revolving needle cylinder hosiery machine. According to the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings the pawl which racks the auxiliary pattern drum is caused to idle in a variable manner bymechanism controlled from the hub of therack wheel. The rack wheel itself determines how many courses are required for one revolution of the striping drum.

1n the drawings, 1 is a plan view of part ofa Scott 80 Williams knitting machine ust below the bedplate showing the novel racking mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the rack wheel and the associated mechanism shown in Fig.1; I

ig. 3 is an elevation from the right side of the machine showing the idling mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a view of the ear wheel which actuates the idling lever; w ile Fi 5 is a similar view of the rack wheel shown the screws on the hub.

The esign patterns that can be set up on a so called auxiliary pattern drum of a circular knittin machine are limited in number. It has eretofore been su gested-that the racking pawl could be lifte l out of operative position temporarily at frequent intervals in order to lengthen the pattern by not racking the striping drum, but such devices for idling the pawl have not been able to change the intervals of idling with the frequency desired during the knitting of the stocking. According to this invention means are provided, actuated by a driving drum. Another object is to gear on the machine, affecting the pawl through its idler, the hub of the rack wheel being modified to select different cams on the driving gear and thus vary the idlin movements. The invention will be described applied to a machine of the type shown in the Robert W. Scott Patent 1,236,770 dated September 7, 1915.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the frame of the machine is indicated at 10, the striping drum at 11 and the main pattern drum at 120. The striping drum 11 is turned by a rack wheel 13 both drum and wheel being carried by'a horizontal shaft 12. The shaft is mounted on. the frame by brackets 14 bolted tothe frame of the machine. On the end face of the hub 15 of the rack wheel, facing toward the left side of the machine, as viewed in Fig. 2, is a circular series of screws 16 taking into holes 17 in the hub, the screws being parallel to the shaft 12. These screws, acting through a horizontal bar 18, are adapted to indicate desired variations in the racking of the drum. This horizontal flat bar 18 is mounted on the brackets 14 with a beveled end lying in the path of the screws 16. The bar tends to maintain a position with its end in the path of the screws by means of a tension spring 19. One end of the tension sprin is fastened to the bar by a pin 20 and the ot er end to a screw 21 taking into one of the brackets carrying the bar. This screw 21 passes through an elongated slot 22 in the bar, the slot permitting longitudinal movement of the rod as required by the indicating screws 16. Mounted on the other bracket is another screw 21 passing through another slot 22 in the bar.

The cams which the screws 16 are desi ed to select are mounted on the so-called high speed gear 65 found on the regular Scott & Williams machine as described and set forth in the patent to Robert W. Scott, 1,152,850, dated ept. 7, 1915. This gear makes one revolution for every four revolutions of the needle cylinder. On the outer side of this gear are cams 23, 24 for varying the effective operation of the pawl on the rack wheel.

The connection between the cams 23, 24 and the flat bar 18 comprises an indicating lever 26 pivoted on an arm 25 fixed on the main brackets 14. On the screw 27 around which the lever 26 is pivoted is a round shouldered collar 28 and the lever is carried loose ly between the collar and the head of the screw. One end of this lever lies in the path of a bent portion on the end on the bar 18 toward the lever 26 and there is an adjustable screw l8a on this end of the bar. Contact between the screw and the indicating lever 26 is maintained at all times by means of a tension spring 29 stretched between the indicating lever and one of the main brackets 14. The other end of the indicating lever lies beside the high speed gear 65 in the path of the cams 23 or 23 and 24. As the horizontal bar 18 is moved longitudinally the lever 26 twists about the screw 27 and the rear end moves from operative relation with one cam path on the high speed gear to another. lVhen the horizontal bar 18 is in its extreme right position lying over an empty hole 17 in the hub, the tension spring 29 holds the rear or indicating end of the lever entirely clear of the cams 23, 24. In this position the lever is not affected by the cams on the high speed gear.

The indications of the cams 23, 24 are transmitted to the pawl 30 which racks the striping drum 11 by means of a bell crank idling lever 31 located under the pawl 30 and linked to the indicating lever 26. This linkage comprises a connecting link 32 whose lower end carries a rod 33 attached to the idling lever 31. The link 32 is pivotally suspended froin the lever 26 between the cams 23, 24 and the pivot screw 27. By this means, when the lever 26 is tipped by a cam 23 or 24 the idling lever 31 will raise the pawl out of contact with the teeth on the rack wheel 13.

The pawl can also be idled from the cams 501, 502 on the main pattern drum 120. The cam 501 cooperates with a low tooth on the rack wheel 13 to stop the rack wheel at the end of the pattern when the low tooth underlies the pawl, but the cam 502 lifts the pawl 30 high enough to clear it of all the teeth on the rack wheel 13.

The pawl can get its racking movement from an eccentric cam on the main shaft of the machine, this eccentric cam causing the pawl to reciprocate once for every revolution of the needle cylinder. A cam operating in this manner is shown and described in the patent to Robert W. Scott and Albert E. Page No. 1,666,794 dated April 17, 1928. However, the cams 23 on the high speed gear 65 are so spaced that when the indicating lever is in its mid-position, i. e. in the path of the cams 23 alone, the idling lever 31 will permit the pawl to be effective regularly every other revolution of the needle cylinder. The extent of movement of the racking wheel during any given period of time can be either increased or decreased by moving the indicating lever. Thus, if the bar 13 comes opposite a screwhole ll on the hub 15 of the rack wheel where there is no screw, the indicating lever will swing its rear end outwardly entirely clear of the regular idling cams 23 and also the cam 24 with the result that the idling lever 31 does not cause the regular interruption of the pawl and the effective length of the pattern drum 11 is one-half of that which it regularly would have. Its effective length can be increased by moving the indicating lever 26 into the path of cam 24 as well as the cam The idling lever will then cause the pawl 30 to idle three revolutions of the needle cylinder out of every four thus increasing the effective length of the drum 11 by onehalf as compared with its effective length when the lever 26 lies in the path of the cams 23 only.

The construction of the device having now been set forth its operation will be taken up. Assuming that the machine has reached the point where it is desired to begin the pattern on the drum 11, the main pattern drum 120 is given a rack which moves the main drum cam 502 out from under the lower leg of the bell crank lever 31. This lowers the pawl, which has heretofore been idling above the teeth on the rack wheel, into action and the rack wheel begins to turn. Assuming for the moment that the rack wheel has been resting in a position which left the horizontal bar 18 against a part of the hub where there was no screw, the indicating end of the lever 26 will have been in its extreme left position and out of contact with all the cams on the gear 65.

\Vhen the pawl has turned the rack wheel until a short screw comes in contact with the Hat bar 18 that bar will be pushed to the left suiliciently to move the lever 26 into line with the pair of cams 23, which will cause the pawl to be idled at every other revolution of the needle cylinder. ontinued revolution of the rack wheel will cause a long screw to come in contact with the bar 18 an the lever 26 will be moved into line with the cam 24 as well as the cams 23. This cam is of such a length when combined with the two cams 23, that the pawl will be idled during three of its four revolutions, thus providing still another length of dwell during which any one set of cams on the striping drum 11 are in operative position.

The gear 65 with the cams 23, 24 thereon can be considered as adapted to cause different operations of the idler. The screws 16 determine the sequence in which the operations of the cams 23,24 are to be transmitted to the idler.

It will be obvious that the cams which actuate the lever 26 can be put on any other new and novel method of startingelectric motors and the like which incorporates resister elements having means normally tending to decrease their resistance and in which thermostatic means are provided to counteract such means and to permit the gradual decrease of resistance upon the expansion of the thermostatic means.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In combination with a motor and a service line, a control apparatus including switch instrumentalities, compression resistors and circuits for connecting the resistors, switch instrumentalities and the motor with the service line, means for applying pressure to the resistors, thermostatic means counteracting the pressure applying means and operable upon the passage of current therethrough to release the pressure applying means to increase the pressure on the resistors and reduce the resistance between the line and the motor, means operable to close one of the switch instrmnentalities to connect the motor with the service line through the resistors and cause current to flow through the thermostatic means, and means operable within a predetermined period to actuate other switch instrumentalities to connect the motor direct with the line and render the first switch instrumentalities inoperative thus disconnecting the resistors from the motor circuit.

2. In combination with an energy transforming device and a service line, an electric circuit for connecting the device with the service line and including a rheostat, means normally tending to decrease the resistance of the rheostat, a thermostatic member, means whereby the thermostatic member opposes the movement of the means normally tending to decrease the resistance of the rheostat, and means connecting the thermostatic member with the ciruit whereby current flows through the thermostatic member simultaneously with its passage through the circuit to heat the thermostatic member and cause it to expand, expansion of the thermostatic member permitting the first mentioned means to function so that the resistance value of the rheostat is controlled by the expansion of the thermostatic member.

3. In combination with an energy transforming device and a service line, a circuit for connecting the device with the service line and includin a rheostat and a switch adapted to close tie circuit, means operable to decrease the resistance of the rheostat, a thermostatic member expansible upon an increase in temperature t ereat and having a part movable upon the expansion thereof, a connection between said movable member and the means for decreasing the resistance of the rheostat whereby the action of the said means is controlled by the thermal condition of thethermostatic member, and means for passing an electric current of constant value through the thermostatic member simultaneously with the closure of the switch to connect the energy transforming device with the service line through the rheostat, the passage of current through the thermostatic member raising its temperature and enabling operation of the means to decrease the resistance of the rheostat.

4. In combination with an energy transforming device and a service line, a circuit for connecting the device with the service line and including a rheostat and a switch adapted to close the circuit, means operable to decrease the resistance of the rheostat, a thermostatic member expansible upon an increase in temperature thereat and having a part movable upon expansion thereof, a connection between said movable part and the means for decreasing the resistance of the rheostat whereby the action of the said means is controlled by the thermal condition of the thermostatic member, means for passing an electric current of constant value through the thermostatic member simultanedusly with the closure of the switch to connect the energy transforming device with the service line through the rheostat, the passage of current through the thermostatic member raising its temperature and enabling operation of the means to decrease the resistance of the rheostat, means for connecting the energy transforming device directly with the service line, and means operable upon said direct connection of the energy transforming device with the service line for opening the switch connecting the device with the service line through the rheostat to interrupt the flow of current through the thermostatic member.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

WALTER S. PFEIFER. 

